Save as csv with UTF-8 encoding

**Imbizile** · 03-09-2019, 01:21 PM

Hello!

I have to export some some sheets from excel as *.csv with UTF-8 encoding and afterwards import them in another program.

The problem is, that no matter how I do it, I cant seem to make the proper UTF-8 encoding work from Excel. So every time I export the files from Excel, I have to open them in notepad++ (or a different text editor) afterwards, and then choose to convert the encoding to UTF-8 and save the files again. Then the csv files end up beign properly UTF-8 encoded.

I found some very old threads about this, but no proper solutions seems to be introduced in those threads.

Can it be right that it is still not possible to do this in Excel, without involving another text editor afterwards?

**shg** · 03-09-2019, 03:29 PM

I've not tried this, but it appears possible.

File > Save As, Save as type: *.csv, Tools > Web Options > Encoding, follow your nose from there.

**Imbizile** · 03-10-2019, 04:48 AM

That is what im doing, but for some reason, Excel does not properly encode it as UTF-8.

I can show it this way:
I have this original Excel file Original.xlsx, its looks like this:
savedfromexcel_utf8_screen.png

Then I save that file as CSV UTF-8 and also choose the UTF-8 under Tools -> Encoding:
savedfromexcel_utf8.png

If I open that csv file again in Excel it still looks like this:
savedfromexcel_utf8_screen.png

But that is not the proper UTF-8 encoding, and I then have to open it Notepad++ and then convert the encoding (again) to UTF-8, like this:
savedfromexcel_utf8_notepad.png

If I open the file again in excel after having run it though notepad++, then looks like this, and that is the format im after:
savedfromexcel_utf8_notepad_screen.png

But I cant seem to do it correct from Excel in the first place.

I also tried with a bunch of different VBA variations, like FileFormat:=xlCSV, xlCSVUTF8, xlCSVMSDOS etc., but with no success.

Tried to also add the 2 converted csv files, but I guess there is a limit of 5 files/screenshots per post, which means I cant attach those to this post.